The photographs show the flowers of two closely-related species of plant.

1.
Species A Species B

Images: © iStock/Thinkstock

The drawings show chromosomes from one cell in the root of each plant during cell division.

Species A Species B

One One
chromosome chromosome

(a) The drawings show that each chromosome has two strands of genetic material.

(i) How does a chromosome become two strands?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) Explain why each chromosome must become two strands before the cell divides.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

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(b) For sexual reproduction, the plants produce gametes.

(i) Name the type of cell division that produces gametes. ___________________
(1)

(ii) How many chromosomes would there be in a gamete from each of these two plant
species?

Species A Species B

(1)

(iii) It is possible for gametes from Species A to combine with gametes from Species B
to produce healthy offspring plants.

How many chromosomes would there be in each cell of one of the offspring plants?

(1)

(c) (i) Look back at the information at the start of the question and the information from part
(b).

What evidence from these two pieces of information supports the belief that Species
A and Species B evolved from a common ancestor?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

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 (ii) For successful gamete production to take place, chromosomes that contain the same
genes must pair up.

The drawings showing the chromosomes of Species A and of Species B are

repeated below.

Species A Species B

The offspring plants cannot reproduce sexually.

Suggest an explanation for this.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 10 marks)

The shape of a person’s earlobes is controlled by a gene.

2.
Figure 1 shows two types of earlobe.

Figure 1

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A dominant allele codes for free earlobes.

(a) What is a dominant allele?

✓) one box.
Tick (✓

An allele expressed even if a person only has one copy of the allele

An allele expressed only if a person has two copies of the allele

An allele expressed only if a person has no recessive allele

An allele expressed only if it is inherited from the male parent

(1)

(b) A man with free earlobes and a woman with attached earlobes have children together.

Complete Figure 2 to show the possible genotypes of the children.

Use the symbols:

E = allele for free earlobes

e = allele for attached earlobes

Figure 2

(2)

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(c) What is the probability that one of the children would have attached earlobes?

Use Figure 2.

✓) one box.
Tick (✓

0.125 0.25 0.5 0.75

(1)

(d) Figure 3 shows the inheritance of the sex chromosomes, X and Y.

Complete Figure 3 to show the sex chromosomes in the gametes of the man and the
woman.

Figure 3

(2)

(e) Calculate the probability that the man and the woman’s next child will be a girl with attached
earlobes.

Use the equation:

probability of a girl with attached earlobes

= probability of attached earlobes × probability of being a girl

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Probability of a girl with attached earlobes =___________________________

(2)
(Total 8 marks)

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 In the mid-19th century, a scientist studied inheritance in pea plants.
3.
The scientist’s work was the beginning of our modern understanding of genetics.

(a) What is the name of this scientist?

Tick one box.

Alfred Russel Wallace

Charles Darwin

Gregor Mendel

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

(1)

(b) In the mid-20th century, other scientists identified the chemical substance that makes up
genetic material.

What is the name of the chemical substance that makes up genetic material?

Tick one box.

Carbohydrate

DNA

Lipid

Protein

(1)

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(c) A gene often has two alleles.

One allele is dominant and the other allele is recessive.

When is a recessive allele expressed as a characteristic?

Tick one box.

When the dominant allele is not present

When the recessive allele is inherited from the female parent

When the recessive allele is inherited from the male parent

When the recessive allele is present on only one of the chromosomes

(1)

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A scientist investigated the inheritance of height in pea plants.

The scientist crossed tall pea plants with short pea plants.

Figure 1 shows the scientist’s results.

Figure 1

All tall offspring

In questions (d) and (e), use the following symbols to represent alleles:

T = the dominant allele for tall.

t = the recessive allele for short.

(d) In Figure 1, the genotype of plant 1 is TT.

Give the genotype of plant 2.

__________________________
(1)

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(e) The scientist crossed plant 3 with plant 4.

Complete Figure 2 to show the offspring produced from this cross.

Figure 2

(2)

(f) Draw a circle around one of the homozygous offspring in Figure 2.

(1)

(g) What is the ratio of tall plants : short plants in the offspring in Figure 2?

Ratio of tall plants : short plants = _______________ : _______________

(1)
(Total 8 marks)

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Mark schemes
(a) (i) DNA replication / copies of genetic material were made
1.
’it’ = a chromosome
allow chromosomes replicate / duplicate / are copied
ignore chromosomes divide / split / double
1

(ii) one copy of each (chromosome / chromatid / strand) to each offspring cell
ignore ref. to gametes and fertilisation
1

each offspring cell receives a complete set of / the same genetic material
allow ‘so offspring (cells) are identical’
1

(b) (i) meiosis

allow mieosis as the only alternative spelling
1

(ii) Species A = 4 and Species B = 8

1

(iii) sum of A + B from (b)(ii) e.g. 12

1

(c) (i) similarities between chromosomes

or
similarities between flowers described
e.g. shape of petals / pattern on petals / colour / stamens
1

can breed / can sexually reproduce

allow can reproduce with each other / they can produce offspring
1

(ii) any two from:

• offspring contain 3 copies of each gene / of each chromosome / odd

number of each of the chromosomes

• some chromosomes unable to pair (in meiosis)

• (viable) gametes not formed / some gametes with extra / too many genes
/ chromosomes

or
some gametes with missing genes / chromosomes
2
[10]

(a) an allele expressed even if a person only has one copy of the allele
2. 1

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 (b)

all 3 correct = 2 marks

1 or 2 correct = 1 mark
2

(c) correct probability from Figure 1

if no answer in part (b) allow 0.5
1

(d)

gametes = X + X and X + Y
allow in incorrect positions
1
X, X, X and Y in correct boxes
1

(e)
an answer matching the answer from part (c) × 0.5
scores 2 marks
if no answer in part (c), an answer of 0.25 / ¼ / 1 in
4 / 25% scores 2 marks

answer from part (c) × 0.5

if no answer in part (c) allow 0.5 × 0.5
1

answer to calculation in mp 1
if no answer in part (c) allow 0.25 / ¼ / 1 in 4 / 25%
1
[8]

(a) Gregor Mendel

3. 1

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(b) DNA
1

(c) when the dominant allele is not present

1

(d) tt
allow homozygous recessive
1

(e)

all 3 correct = 2 marks

2 correct = 1 mark
0 or 1 correct = 0 marks
allow tT for Tt
2

(f) circle drawn around either TT or tt on Figure 2

allow circles drawn round both
1

(g) correct ratio from part (e) e.g. 3 : 1

allow multiples of stated ratio
allow 3 : 1 if no answer to part (e)
1
[8]

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